Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[PicKl3d]

Ok so I'm starting my 3rd batch today I cooked 6 cups of nishiki rice with 7 cups of water these are the yeast balls and rice I'm using just letting the rice cool right now I'll get a pic when I've put it in the jar.

 

[sonofgrok]

Would a plain rice cooker work?

I use rice cookers.

 

[Newsman]

Would a plain rice cooker work?

That's what I use. Works fine.

 

[trbig]

Does anyone shake/swirl the fermentation? Mine was pretty dormant until I shook it a few days ago, now it's bubbling like crazy. Also I was worried about the rice being to dry and not steamed enough, but the rice is almost completely eaten away. I just shook it up again and I'll leave it a few more days to see what happens. I don't harvest until the 30th, so there's still time

I like to get the rice raft floating on top down into the liquid myself. The times I didn't stir mine, at the end of a month, I still had a big rice cake on top. It wasn't as bad when I did smaller one gallon batches, but the larger I started making them, the more it became a problem.

 

[MasterCrook]

I like to get the rice raft floating on top down into the liquid myself. The times I didn't stir mine, at the end of a month, I still had a big rice cake on top. It wasn't as bad when I did smaller one gallon batches, but the larger I started making them, the more it became a problem.

The first batch I did with sushi rice and yeast balls had a rice cap at the top. I just left it to do it's thing. This batch I was losing patience and I shook it. Now it's bubbling nicely, I'm so glad I shook it. I'm not sure what would have happened if I didn't, but it seems like the cap had important bacteria which got mixed in with the rice throughout. After I left it for a few days after the initial shake, mold grew on the top again and a new cap formed. I shook it up again and left it. I suspect more mold will grow on top of a new cap. I'll check it in about an hour and a half

 

[DanzigsMISFITS]

I don't see why not. I'd say that any cooking style that allows you to make rice good enough to eat is good enough to make rice wine with.

Steam it, boil it....it's all good. Eat it or make wine, the cooking process should be good.

Take pictures and share them here often throughout the process.

Will do waiting for yeast bawls

 

[Sakesmith]

Okay, I just got to the party, I have read the first 100 posts. Very interesting. Started a one gallon batch.

Now, back to reading the rest of your posts. Good stuff.

Best regards,
Sakesmith

 

[ChefRex]

Haven't tried it but, I'd be interested to see the results.

Starting to see liquid so looks promising!

 

[jak1010]

Starting to see liquid so looks promising!

Nice!!! This is cutting edge fermentation coming to you live!

 

[ChefRex]

So I looked at a batch that has been sitting in the fridge undisturbed for a week and I'm amazed as how much the solids have compacted.
This batch is destined for a bottle, pasteurized and aged for a bit.
Edit: forgot to mention looks a lot like a yeast layer on top, much like washing yeast for beer, need to play!

 

[DanzigsMISFITS]

Shoild fermentation be done in a fridge or on a shelf...temp?

 

[ChefRex]

Shoild fermentation be done in a fridge or on a shelf...temp?

I have mine in a makeshift fermentation chamber holding around 70F.

 

[Temptd2]

I fermented most of mine at around 62 to 65* because that's what room temp was - I also put the jars into a picnic cooler just to keep the temps steady. I've never had any of the weird growy things that some get. I get great-tasting results.

The first batch I did way back when - I still have half a bottle of it in the fridge, where it has been for at least a month and a half now, and that sucker STILL is fermenting, even after harvesting it off the rice! I have to pop the top on it every other day and it has a LOT of back pressure on it. I'm gonna let it ferment out as far as it will go, until there is no more back pressure, just to see what I end up with.

 

[sonofgrok]

Shoild fermentation be done in a fridge or on a shelf...temp?

Mine get brewed on a shelf in a closet. Not a closet with clothes but an empty one I use for brewing.

 

[troy2000]

I fermented most of mine at around 62 to 65* because that's what room temp was - I also put the jars into a picnic cooler just to keep the temps steady. I've never had any of the weird growy things that some get. I get great-tasting results.

The first batch I did way back when - I still have half a bottle of it in the fridge, where it has been for at least a month and a half now, and that sucker STILL is fermenting, even after harvesting it off the rice! I have to pop the top on it every other day and it has a LOT of back pressure on it. I'm gonna let it ferment out as far as it will go, until there is no more back pressure, just to see what I end up with.

Strange. I've finished two batches, and have part of each still stashed in the fridge. Neither one has gained an ounce of back-pressure since I strained them out and bottled them, even though they're in tightly sealed bottles...

Maybe it's because I let both of them work for at least a month before touching them?

On a sad note: my third batch, using sweet rice, seems to have gotten infected. It's smelling alcoholic, but there's also a strong underlying odor to it - somewhere between sour milk and laundy that's been left in the washer for a week.

I'll let it go for a while anyway to see what it turns into; it's not like it costs anything to have it setting on the shelf. But I suspect I'll have to start a new batch.

 

[trbig]

I started this last 10lb batch on Jan 30th, let it go over a month to March 5th before harvesting and got @ 2 1/2 gallons from 10 lbs of sweet rice.








I stuck it out in the garage to cold crash where it was staying in the high 30's to low 40's temp-wise... and it just kept on fermenting and bubbling the air lock. I had kind of forgot about it until I looked at it last night and thought.. "Well that should be good and ready to bottle now." .. and then the airlock bubbled again. ??? lol. 3 1/2 months and the yeast is still working on it even after it was filtered. I guess I'm going to have to pull some off and give it a taste, but it still looks the same as that picture. It never did clear off.

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

I started this last 10lb batch on Jan 30th, let it go over a month to March 5th before harvesting and got @ 2 1/2 gallons from 10 lbs of sweet rice.








I stuck it out in the garage to cold crash where it was staying in the high 30's to low 40's temp-wise... and it just kept on fermenting and bubbling the air lock. I had kind of forgot about it until I looked at it last night and thought.. "Well that should be good and ready to bottle now." .. and then the airlock bubbled again. ??? lol. 3 1/2 months and the yeast is still working on it even after it was filtered. I guess I'm going to have to pull some off and give it a taste, but it still looks the same as that picture. It never did clear off.

I wonder if some of that is just degassing. I kinda doubt its still actually fermenting after all that time.

 

[trbig]

No, not just degassing. The couple bottles I've pulled off of there have had to have the corks released a lot over the same time while in the fridge. Also, if it was just degassing, it would have started to clear by now and drop the solids out.

The cool atmosphere has slowed the yeast down considerably, so I think it's just taken a long time to work itself out.

 

[wildozarkwine]

I started my first batch a couple of weeks ago and the top portion of the rice has turned brown, is this normal? I used Rotary brand rice yeast, the ingredfiants are rice, yeast, ginger, and pepper. This is the only rice yeast I have been able to find in the St. Louis area.
The rice is fermenting and has a very strong alcohol smell but I am concerned with the brown color. Will this be drinkable, if not will it be safe to let ferment and turn to vinagar, or should I pitch it and try again, maybe order some new rice yest off of the net?
Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for any help.

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

9 cups Thai Jasmine yielded a full gallon of wine. Wooooo! Good to have this nectar back in stock!

 

[jak1010]

I started my first batch a couple of weeks ago and the top portion of the rice has turned brown, is this normal? I used Rotary brand rice yeast, the ingredfiants are rice, yeast, ginger, and pepper. This is the only rice yeast I have been able to find in the St. Louis area.
The rice is fermenting and has a very strong alcohol smell but I am concerned with the brown color. Will this be drinkable, if not will it be safe to let ferment and turn to vinagar, or should I pitch it and try again, maybe order some new rice yest off of the net?
Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for any help.

I don't know about yeast that has ginger and pepper in it....If the alcohol content gets high enough, I doubt there will be anything that is harmful. The taste, all bets are off. Could be terrible or it may be great.

Either way, let us know how it turns out.

 

[ChefRex]

I started my first batch a couple of weeks ago and the top portion of the rice has turned brown, is this normal? I used Rotary brand rice yeast, the ingredfiants are rice, yeast, ginger, and pepper. This is the only rice yeast I have been able to find in the St. Louis area.
The rice is fermenting and has a very strong alcohol smell but I am concerned with the brown color. Will this be drinkable, if not will it be safe to let ferment and turn to vinagar, or should I pitch it and try again, maybe order some new rice yest off of the net?
Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for any help.

Let it ride, I originally thought you added ginger and pepper you have nothing to lose at the moment, the top can get a little gnarly looking but nothing will hurt you.

 

[PicKl3d]

So my last batch I made balls then added to the jar and it's fermenting better than the last to batches hopefully it turns out great!

 

[Zibe]

Just tried the first batch. Let me start by saying I don't like wine nor straight liquor. This stuff is friggin hot but with a sweet start and no aftertaste very smooth. Gonna start another bigger batch immediately. Thanks for the thread on this one. This may cut into the beer consumption.


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[rskelhorn]

9 cups Thai Jasmine yielded a full gallon of wine. Wooooo! Good to have this nectar back in stock!

Are folks decanting or just drinking all of liquid leftover the strain?

 

[WesleyS]

Are folks decanting or just drinking all of liquid leftover the strain?

It's all up to personal tastes. I prefer to let the solids settle to the bottom of the bottle after straining and bottling and then drink the clear liquid at the top. Others like to shake the solids back into suspension. Try it both ways and see what you like best.


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[MasterCrook]

Are folks decanting or just drinking all of liquid leftover the strain?

I've only finished one batch so far, but I harvested, bottle pasteurized right away, then let it settle, and refrigerated. The solids settled nicely at the bottom so I drank the clear stuff first, then the solids after.

 

[MasterCrook]

So my last batch I made balls then added to the jar and it's fermenting better than the last to batches hopefully it turns out great!

What do you mean you made balls?

 

[jak1010]

What do you mean you made balls?

I think, instead of scooping the cooked and cooled rice into the fermenter, they rolled the rice into balls and placed them in. I've done this when doing a small batch.

 

[wildozarkwine]

Thanks for the info jak and chef, I will let it go and let you know how it turns out.